The Hunter
by Incarnation of Zero
Summary: Millions of years ago, in a time when only the ancient Pokemon roamed the earth, there lived a predator, far superior to all others, known only as the Hunter. But will even Mew end up as his prey?


**The Hunter**

_A Long Time in the Past,_

In a time where humans had not begun to leave a mark on the earth, when only the ancient Pokemon ruled the lands, there was a Pokemon that would go on to be called 'the ancestor of all Pokemon.'

Mew.

Mew was a versatile little creature, able to use any kind of attack, transform into any other kind of Pokemon, and survive in any environment. Fairly powerful too, but with the mind of a child; only seeking to play and have fun in the world round him.

He would travel from sea to sky, from forest to mountain, from valley to desert, sometimes playing with the Pokemon he'd meet, sometimes helping them out, sometimes avoiding the ones trying to pick a fight.

Remaining blissfully ignorant to the danger that awaited him...

Deep inside a rainforest, where the sunrise was barely visible, a lone figure stood on a tree branch, watching the life below him.

Or rather, his prey.

It was the law of nature; the cycle of life. The predator hunts its prey. For food, for territory, for dominance. No complaints, no feelings, no questions. Survival of the fittest.

Everyday was the same; hunt for food, hunt for fun, it didn't matter why he did it.

It was all he knew how to do. It was how he felt...alive.

Right now, he wouldn't need food for another several hours. He'd chanced upon an Archeops nest earlier, where several baby Archen had been born recently. Easy pickings for a quick meal.

No regret, no remorse. This was for survival.

His focused on the lone Armaldo, slowly making its way through the forest.

With the right timing, and careful precision, this Armaldo could be brought down in a single strike.

Crouching, ready to spring from the branch directly towards the Armaldo, he raised his claw, waiting for the right timing. Patience was a necessity. The best prizes were earnt by waiting.

A rustling could be heard in the bushes near the Armaldo, who stopped to glance curiously at it. This was it.

Time to strike.

Almost soundlessly, he leapt from the branch, thrusting his claw into the back of Armaldo's head, instantly ending its life. The large Pokemon collapsed to its side with a large thump.

His claw was strong enough to punch through the thick armour of Armaldo.

The Hunter had never failed to hunt his prey. He was the ultimate predator.

In the sky, he could see an Aerodactyl, probably searching for food.

Another easy target.

The Hunter sprang up to the top of the nearest tree, and hopped between trees until he was close enough to the Aerodactyl to strike. The Aerodactyl spotted his movement, but was too late to react; within moments, the Hunter had slashed its' prey's neck.

The Aerodactyl fell to the ground, lifelessly lying there just like the Armaldo.

This was why the Hunter was feared; he had an incredible strength, and his speed was unmatched. With each victim he claimed, he grew stronger and stronger.

That was what it meant to be the ultimate predator.

Perhaps he would try hunting underwater prey next? Relicanth would occasionally make their way upstream from the ocean, and they made good prey.

Or perhaps he could search for a Bastiodon to test his strength against? That meant leaving the rainforest, however...

A small flash of pink crossed his vision, an unusual colour to be seen deep in the heart of the rainforest. He turned to face the source of the colour, a tiny, floating Pokemon. It cheerily let out a 'mew' sound.

The Hunter had never seen this Pokemon before. It looked weak, and irritating. Not worth hunting.

However, this mewing Pokemon had taken an interest in him.

"Mew?"

This...'Mew'...was curiously gliding around him, eyeing him up like a small child would eye up a new toy. He danced and giggled, oblivious to the fact that he was in the presence of the Hunter, the most feared predator in possibly the world.

The Hunter turned to leave, but Mew popped up in front of his face instantaneously, happily laughing playfully. The Hunter growled in annoyance, causing Mew to stop and tilt his head in confusion.

The Hunter had no time for childish nuisances; in a flash, he had thrust his claw forward, intending to drive it through Mew.

...it took him a moment to comprehend that his claw was stuck in a tree.

Had he...missed...?

It was ridiculous, but he supposed it wasn't totally unrealistic. He'd just have to make sure he didn't miss next time.

With a bit of effort, he removed his claw from the tree, and turned around to see Mew happily somersaulting in midair, not realising that he'd just narrowly avoided death. After a pause, the Hunter swiped at the air where Mew was at a greater speed than before.

No contact.

In fact, Mew was now behind him.

The Hunter's arms glowed, as he readied an X-scissor attack. He spun around, unleashing it, and slicing down several trees.

Mew was still in one piece, however.

And could tell that he was not exactly with friendly company right now.

It was too late for the Hunter to consider allowing him to escape, though; Mew had made this personal.

You do not dodge the Hunter.

Mew would learn this the hard, painful way.

The Hunter usually preferred swiftly killing his prey. He was not sadist. He fought to survive, and to better himself- not to maliciously slaughter everything around him.

But this...Mew.

He was insulting him.

He would not be granted a merciful kill.

The Hunter unleashed his next attack, Bug Buzz, an attack that would be slightly harder to avoid than his precise claw strikes. Mew winced, curling up and trying not to cry out in pain. The Hunter felt a small satisfying feeling, until Mew let out a cry, a pink force field forming around him.

It must have been psychic in nature, as it was still writhing in reaction to Bug Buzz, but the field seem to be blocking out some of the damage. The Hunter increased his power, and Mew reacted by sending out bolts of lightning randomly in all directions, one of which struck the Hunter's arm.

Not only did it disrupt his attack, it also almost knocked him off balance.

And...

It stung.

Mew was already fleeing, still surrounded in his force field. The Hunter could not allow this. He had to finish the job.

He sprung to the tree tops again, hopping between trees to keep up with Mew, occasionally striking at Mew's barrier while jumping. Mew managed to dodge several of these hits, but could never shake off the Hunter, nor make it to the edge of the forest.

Eventually, the Hunter struck Mew's barrier with an X-scissor, sending Mew crashing down to the ground. The Hunter dived down to follow, barely evading a jet of flames headed his way.

Fire now? Just what was Mew?

Several trees that had been caught in the jet of flames were now being uprooted and thrown his way. The Hunter rolled and dashed to the side, using X-scissor to destroy the last oncoming flaming tree. Mew seemed surprised to see that trees hadn't worked, and drifted towards a nearby river.

The fires were continuing to spread; Mew was probably panicking at this point.

The Hunter dived in the river to follow Mew, who had submerged himself, not expecting to be followed.

It was easy to spot the glowing pink, even underwater. The Hunter was adept in the water too, allowing him to close the distance between him and Mew in just a few seconds. He struck at Mew's barrier again, and he could feel he was weakening it and his prey hiding within it.

It was after another few strikes that the Hunter realised his movement was becoming restricted.

It was getting...colder?

Surely, if anything, it would be getting hotter, considering the fire spreading across the forest?

Or did Mew have ice attacks, too?

The Hunter knew that staying in the water would lead to him being frozen in place for a good while- long enough for his prey to escape, for sure.

On the other hand, it would be harder to keep track of Mew from outside the water...

The Hunter tore himself from the water, with only moments to act. He quickly sliced at a nearby tree, causing it to collapse into the river.

If it didn't hit Mew, it would at least scare him out of the water.

The whole area of the forest around them was ablaze by now; the Hunter would have to be careful to avoid any fire. Fire was his greatest weakness, and could easily cripple him.

Mew burst out of the water, flying away from the tree, then away from the Hunter, then upwards in fear of the forest fire.

The Hunter had predicted this; Mew was childish and simple. He started a Bug Buzz attack while launching himself into the air, causing Mew to slow down and cry out in pain. The Hunter soared above him, readying his X-scissor attack and slamming it on top of Mew's barrier, smashing him violently to the ground, his barrier slowly flickering away.

The Hunter's feeling of satisfaction was returning. Before Mew could get up, the Hunter had swiped at him, throwing him against a tree. The fires were getting closer, and a tree nearby crashed to the ground in flames. The Hunter slowly approached Mew, who was struggling on the ground.

This was it. He had won.

The Hunter planted his foot on Mew, slowly crushing whatever life was left in him.

He readied his claw to finish him off. Mew helplessly squirmed and coughed. The Hunter had no sympathy for him.

This was the law of nature. Survival of the fittest.

Before he could deliver the final blow on his prey, Mew begun flashing, and changing shape.

The Hunter was now looking at a weakened, scarred version of himself. Confused, he stepped away, giving Mew enough time to transform back and blast the Hunter with a large gust of wind, throwing him backwards into the roaring forest fire.

Searing, roaring pain erupted over his whole body, as he watched Mew shakily fly away.

He'd been...beaten?

He'd...failed to hunt his prey?

He climbed slowly to his feet, staggering forwards, flames still covering his body.

Was he going to die here? Was he not the strongest predator?

He slumped to the ground.

Was this the end?

He stabbed his claw into the round, dragging himself along.

It wasn't his desire to hunt that drove him anymore. Nor his desire to grow stronger.

No. He felt a rage swell up within him.

One day, he'd pay back Mew a million times worth the pain he felt right now.

The Hunter was losing consciousness, and already could not feel parts of his body.

Eventually, the Hunter ceased moving.

But his life, and his legend, would live on.

A scientist would one day find the fossilised remains of this Pokemon, and while reviving him, he would enhance him with a cannon and cybernetics.

The Hunter would be given a name.

'Genesect.'

* * *

A/N: I haven't given up on RRV or Purpose- progress is slow on both, however. Things happened over the summer.

As for this oneshot, it's been in my head for a while, so I thought I might as well write it. Quite pleased with how it turned out, so I might do others.


End file.
